Targeted Attacks On Newly Discovered Java Leak

The Japanese anti-virus company Trend Micro warns of a new critical vulnerability in Java where no update is available for Oracle, which is used in attacks against American defense organization and a member of NATO. According to the virus fighter is about targeted attacks.

That would mean that the vulnerability is not yet widely used to infect home users with malware. For attacking the targets using the assailants emails with a link. The links used by the attackers appear on the left earlier in attacks against NATO members and the White House were deployed, says analyst Li Brooks . In this case the links were encountered in the emails to an American defense organization and a specific NATO member, but who exactly is going does not mean anti-virus company. The link points to a page that tries to make use of the Java leak. In the event that the attack is successful, there is placed on the computer malware.

Vulnerable

The vulnerability is present in the latest Oracle Java version, namely update Java 8 45. Older versions of Java, namely 6 and 7 are not vulnerable. Oracle would have been informed. In anticipation of an update enables users to Java in their browser off or the system removed . A few years ago were regularly called zero-day vulnerabilities found in Java and attacked which no update was available. According to Trend Micro, it is almost two years since the last zero-day Java was reported.

NATO Organizes Major Cyber Exercise In Estonia

400 computer experts will this week in Estonia to participate in a major NATO cyber exercise, where an attack is simulated on a fictional country. A total of sixteen teams from countries for Locked Shields 2015 registered as the exercise is called.

Locked Shields is an annual simulation held since 2010 in the cyber defense center of NATO in Tallinn. The organizers announced that this year, in addition to SCADA systems including Windows 8, a test version of Windows 10, Android devices and IP cameras are part of the exercise, as well as an "element of active defense".

"Locked Shields prepares computer emergency response specialists for continuously evolving cyber security landscape. Unique about this is that we are realistic technologies, use networks and methods of attack," said Colonel Artur Suzik, director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber ​​Defense Center of Excellence. "In order to ensure that the exercise is flush with real developments will be there every year new technologies and added attack vectors."

Even Linux Users Targeted By Cyber Espionage

Appear regularly reports of attacks by cyber spies who have provided at Windows users, but the Japanese anti-virus company Trend Micro claims to have discovered an attack which also Linux users were targeted. The attacks come from a group that the defense companies, media organizations, Russian dissidents, members of NATO and even the White House has provided.

The attackers have been active for some time and use different tactics to infect their victims with malware. There Microsoft Office documents are used as containing spyware. In another attack were on a Polish government site posted several exploits that install malware on the same unpatched users. Finally phishing emails were also used those users to fake login pages for Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) by sent.

Linux

In the first quarter of this year, the group was very active and used it several new attacks, including sending e-mails with malicious links, which supposedly to news reports seem to indicate. When a user opens the link, and certain conditions are met does the so-called news site with a message that there must be an HTML5 plugin installed to view the content of this website. In the case of Linux users who visit the website will be the X Agent or Fysbis spyware offered, while Windows users get the Sednit spyware.

Furthermore, the attackers use again the counterfeit OWA logon pages. These contain phishing pages JavaScript that when the user opens the link from the OWA preview pane, a tab opens with the intended site. In addition, the JavaScript causes the OWA session is forwarded in another tab to a phishing page that lets you know that the user is logged out and must log in again.

White House

Trend Micro also says to have proof that the group the White House has targeted. Four days after three YouTube bloggers President Barack Obama had interviewed these bloggers were the target of a Gmail phishing attack. According to the virus fighter they tried bloggers likely to use as a springboard for attacks against the White House. Who is behind the attacks is spying is not to say the anti-virus company.